Production of ammonia



vented certain new UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN COLLINS GLANCY, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR- TO THE NITRO-GEN CORPORATION, ISLAND.

OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE PRODUCTION OFAMMONIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

No Drawing. Original application flied March 28, 1916, Serial No.86,078. Divided and this application filed January 14, 1920. Serial No.351,360.

To all whom it may concern siding at Nia ara Falls in the county ofNiagara and g New York, have inand ments in the Production 6!? Ammonia,0 which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to the process of producing ammonia from itselements through the agency of c anamids as catalytic agents therefor,which process is particularly described and pointed out in the followingspecification and claims.

I have discovered that if a gaseous mixture containing nitrogen andhydrogen is passed in contact with a suitable metal cyanamid or mixtureof such cyanamids, the nitrogen and hydrogen of said gaseous mixture maybe caused to unite to form ammonia; said cyanamid or cyanamids actingcatalytically in the reaction.

For example, tassium cyanamid, or sodium cyanamit answers well thepurpose of the process; and when another suitable metal cyanamid, suchas one of those hereinafter referred to, is mixed with the first, theroduction of ammonia may be caused to ta 0 place at a lower temperature;while the velocity of ammonia production is accelerated.

The number of said cyanamids in the mixture obviously need not belimited to two. Thus, by way of illustration p A. mixture composed ofmanganese cyana'mid, cobalt cyanamid and sodium cyanamid may agent beingprepared by usmg the following proportions, by weight: sodium cyanamid100 parts; manganese cyanamid l0 parts; cobalt cyanamid 10 parts. Thewhole then intimately mixed with 80 not limited to the exact materialsgiven by way of exemplification nor to the proportions so given.

In carrying my invention into practice useful Improvecalcium cyanamid,or po-,

constitute the catalytic agent, suchfor the production of ammonia, about140 grams of the immediately above mentioned catalytic mixture is placedin a catalytic chamber suitable for ammonia synthesis and there ispassed in contact with such catalyzer a gas current preferablycontaining one volume of nitrogen and three volumes of hydrogen. \Vith apressure of gas travels ing the chamber within a range of 25 to 100atmospheres and at a temperature of treatment approximating (300 C. 1have oitained synthetic ammonia to the extent that the ammonia gasleaving the treating chamber constituted up to 10 per cent. by volume ofthe total gas leaving the treating chamber; this percentage varying uponvarying the pressure. The ammonia. is removed from the gasdischargedfirom the treating chamber in any suitable manner.

The present casc is a division of my application entitlcd; rmiuction ofammonia; Serial No. 86,)78, filed March 523. 1916.

llaring thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of producing ammonia which comprises passing a heatedgaseous mixture, under pressure, containing nitrogen and hydrogen, incontact with a catalytic agent which comprises a cyanamid composition inwhich cobalt is included as a baseacting constituent.

2. he process of producing ammonia which compi'ises passing a heatedgaseous mixture, under pressure, containing nitrogen and hydrogen, incontact with a catalytic agent which comln'ises a cyariamid compositionin which a metal of the cobalt group is included as a base-actingeonstituteut.

3. The process of producing ammonia which comprises syntheticallycombining nitrogen and hydrogen by means of pressure, heat and acatalytic agent which includes a mixture ofcyanamids which comprisescobalt and manganese.

4. The process of producing ammonia which comprises passing a heatedgaseous mixture containing nitrogen and hydrogen under a high pressurein contact with a.

cyanamid containing composition in which i-yunamid containin compositionin which mutcly associated with an ulkaiinous mot-.11

is present a metal 0 the cobalt group. and manganese. 10

(3. The proums, of producing ammonia In testimony whcrcof I have aflixcdmy which comprigins passing a heated gaseous SiglHLlHl:8, in thopi'cscnw of two witnesses.

mixture contai-aing nitrogen and hydrogen JOHN COLLINS (ILANCY.

under a high pressure in contact with a W itncsscsf cyanamicl containingcomposition in which FRANUMS G. ALVERSON,

is present a metal of the cobalt group inti- IIowAiw Rimlm'.

